"Ewan ko sa kanya. I mean, ako I don’t use my parents’ influence to get government contracts."

Arroyo lets daughter Luli to take the fight to de Venencia. From the Malaya:

PRESIDENTIAL daughter Evangelina Lourdes "Luli" Arroyo yesterday lashed at businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia III for linking her father First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo to the $329-million national broadband network deal between the government and Chinese firm ZTE Corp.

A visibly irked Luli, in an ambush interview in Malacañang, said her family does not meddle in government contracts.

"Ewan ko sa kanya. I mean, ako I don’t use my parents’ influence to get government contracts," she said.

"Just because you fail in your business practices, don’t blame it on innocent people here.

Good for you. (while taking an indirect shot at Joey Mullet de Venecia)

But what about your pops, Luli? Or Mikey?

Luli was also the designated "hitwoman" to bring up Joey's druggie past:

"Just because you fail in your business practices, don’t blame it on innocent people here. So parang, kakainis ka naman, no. But I mean, what can we do? Ganyan talaga yung…I don’t know. I don’t know if his old drug use affected his thinking but – whatever! I mean, tawa na lang kami, di ba? I mean kami na naman. What else is new?" she said.

Ms. Arroyo said allegations her father went to Italy to evade the controversy is like "grasping at straws as thin as his (De Venecia’s) hairline."

LOL. Galing galing ni Ms. Luli. Even if what was said about Joey dV is all true, how could this be any worse than what was said about Chavit Singson when he did erap in?

Plus: Ernesto Maceda on the 15.5 Billion Peso ZTE Deal:

The Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the ZTE national broadband network (NBN) project has exposed five important facts

1. That First Gentleman Mike Arroyo was in on the deal.

2. That Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. was the principal broker for the deal.

3. That Neda Secretary Romulo Neri, while initially against the deal, finally approved the project on the eve of the signing of the contract at Boao, China.

4. Most significant, that GMA, our hands-on President, knew of the deal from its conception to date. She was present at the signing of the contract on April 21, 2007 at Boao, China.

5. The ZTE contract covers only 35 percent of the country and if expanded to cover 100 percent could go up to $800 million cost.